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Also, the Stars have been down here since '93, so I would say it's just beginning to catch on.

I meant beginning to catch on in the sense that there are youth hockey league and stuff like that now. There were hockey fans in Texas from well before the team moved there, but it was far from mainstream. Still ain't exactly the number one sport, but it's come a long way if you ask me... or at least that's the sense I get from those I know in the area.

I was just pointing out that its not easy to get a franchise when its up to the whims of Bettman, team proximity may be a factor but there are teams very close to each other around the league.
Quebec would be a good choice as the passion is there but hopefully the reason they lost their first team has resolved itself..

not a big fan of bettman but I don't blame him for not wanting a team in Hamilton. It's a pretty small city for a NHL team no matter where it is located... less than an hour from Toronto though? That's a terrible idea.

not a big fan of bettman but I don't blame him for not wanting a team in Hamilton. It's a pretty small city for a NHL team no matter where it is located... less than an hour from Toronto though? That's a terrible idea.

Metro Hamilton has an excess of 700k people. Bettman does not want a team in Hamilton because Toronto and Buffalo don't want a team in Hamilton.

Metro Hamilton has an excess of 700k people. Bettman does not want a team in Hamilton because Toronto and Buffalo don't want a team in Hamilton.

Are you trying to say 700k is big??? I'm fairly certain that if Hamilton got an NHL team it would be the smallest market the NHL is in. Even Buffalo is more than 50% larger.

The only city with an NHL team and a comparable metro population is Winnipeg but while Winnipeg is the capital of it's whole province and the closest team is nearly 500 miles away in a different country! Hamilton is less than 100 miles from Toronto.

Or Course Toronto Doesn't want an NHL team in Hamilton, they rightfully consider Hamilton to be their turf. What would the NHL have to benefit by angering and harming one of it's oldest and most valuable franchises, all to place a team in a city that would then become the smallest market in the entire NHL?

Again I'm not often one to side with Bettman, but a team in Hamilton just doesn't make sense. I mean honestly. People consider Pittsburgh to be a small market team and over 100k households watch each regular season game, there aren't even 300k households in the entire hamilton metro... for hamilton to get even a quarter of the number of households pittsburgh's bringing in they would need every single game to best the ratings of the highest rated tv shows of ALL TIME. It just wouldn't work. Winnipeg was a hard enough sell even though they had the argument that their entire province and even parts of other provinces would support them. Hamilton in the shadow of Toronto simply can't make such a claim.

It's not impossible for a city so close to Toronto to get an NHL team but they would have to be big enough for it to make sense. Even if the Hamilton Metro doubled in size it would be among the smallest in the NHL. As is, there's zero chance.

With Scruggs and the Glendale City council taking pot shots at Buttman and getting on his bad side, it's getting more and more likely the Yotes will be in Quebec City next year! Can't wait!

Is that even possible? By that I mean is there currently an arena in Quebec that could host nhl games? Their new arena wouldn't be ready until the 2015-2016 season as i understood it. I think Quebec is definitely the next city to get an nhl team... is it possible that it could happen so soon though?

Is that even possible? By that I mean is there currently an arena in Quebec that could host nhl games? Their new arena wouldn't be ready until the 2015-2016 season as i understood it. I think Quebec is definitely the next city to get an nhl team... is it possible that it could happen so soon though?

Yes, the old arena in Quebec City seats about 15,500. Though the NHL would not accept this as a permanent home it could host NHL games until the new rink is built.

It's likely that a few teams may relocate soon. Some cities that could be host to a team.

1.Houston or San Antonio-Give the Dallas fans someone to hate.
2.Oklahoma City-Dont know if they are big on hockey but they seem to want something.
3.Albuqerque-Doubt they would get support though.
4.Seattle
5.Kansas City-Already talk of this
6.Winnepeg
7.Quebec City
8.Hartford or Bridgeport,CT
9.Portland,Oregon
10.Milwaukee
11.Indianapolis
There are many more but these are the ones I can think off the top my head. What do you think?

Yes, the old arena in Quebec City seats about 15,500. Though the NHL would not accept this as a permanent home it could host NHL games until the new rink is built.

Oh wow, that's great. That would certainly serve well enough until the new arena is built.

It'll be great to have another team in Canada so soon. Quebec City certainly deserves an NHL team, I'm happy the NHL is finally realizing the error of taking hockey out of markets where people love and into deserts where no one cares about it.

I think they're going to have a gigantic game of musical chairs where mayors from cities all over the country file into this large auditorium. When the music stops, everybody grabs a chair. Whoever is left has to take the NHL franchise.

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